Mop head for window cleaning



July 29, 1958 J. J. MACKERT MOP HEAD FOR wmnow CLEANING Filed Sept. 4, 1956 INVENTOR JOHN J. MACKERT A6 AT'IORNIZ" United States Patent" MOP HEAD FOR WINDOW CLEANING John J. Mackert, Detroit, Mich. Application September 4, 1956, Serial No.607,84 9

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-244) This invention relates to mop heads for washing windows and other surfaces, and particularly relates to devices for releasably mounting sponge blocks on mop heads.

An object of the invention is to adapt a sponge block to be so mounted on a carrier plate that either of two opposed faces of such block may engage a surface to be washed, and to further adapt the block to be reversed, end for end, thus facilitating and expediting installation of the block and affording compensation for localized wear.

Another object is to provide a simple, inexpensive and novel device for releasably attaching a sponge block to its carrier plate incorporated in a mop head.

Another object is to so form a sponge block for engagement by a wire latch element as to avoid any contact of said element with a surface being washed.

Another object is to utilize resiliency of a sponge block to resist release of a latch member serving to retain the block on a carrier plate.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved mop head.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows in perspective a latch member employed by the improved implement.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates a substantially rectangular sponge block and 2 a carrier plate for such block, both preferably rectangular. The block 1 is formed of suitably cellular absorbent, and flexibly resilient material such as is commonly available, and the plate 2 may be of sheet metal.

The block has relatively large opposed front and rear faces for alternatively seating on the plate, and such faces are similarly formed with several spaced parallel grooves 3 extending from end to end of such faces. For a purpose hereinafter explained, the block has two spaced notches 4 in each of its ends at which the grooves 3 terminate, such notches being approximately U-shaped.

Adjoining one of its ends, the plate 2 has a pair of tongues 5 struck out beyond its block-engaging face and similarly bent to serve as pivot bearings for the yoke end 6a of a U-shaped wire latch member. Such member further comprises a pair of parallel arms 6, free at their ends remote from the yoke 6a. To accommodate such arms, the block 1 is formed with two suitably spaced, substantially parallel elongated sockets 7 midway between said opposed faces of the block, such sockets terminally opening into the aforementioned notches. The U shape of the notches assists in registering the free ends of the arms 6 with the sockets 7, preliminary to insertion of the arms in such sockets. The latter are preferably slightly oversized in diameter to further facilitate insertion or withdrawal of the latch arms. Adjoining its end remote from the pivot bearings 5, the plate 2 has a pair of tongues 8 struck out beyond its block-engaging face and terminally return-bent to form hooked keepers for the free ends of the latch arms 6. Spacing of the keepers 8 from the tongues 5 is such as to locate the keepers and the pivotal ends of the arms in the inner portions of the notches 4, avoiding any possible contact of these parts with a surface being washed. The plate 2 is safeguarded against any such contact by spacing its periphery inwardly from that of the block. To assure parallelism of the arms with the plate 2 in their latched position, the arms have offset ends 9 adjoining the yoke 6a, approximately transverse to the major length of the arms. The free ends of the arms extend slightly beyond the keepers 8 within the notches 4 receiving the keepers, such ends being thus accessible to manually effect engagement of the arms with or their release from the keepers. Any such manipulation of the latch arms requires their deflection toward the plate 2 and such deflection entails a slight compression of the block 1. Thus resiliency of the block is utilized to prevent any accidental unlatching ofthe block.

Pivoted on the plate 1 adjoining its rear face is a socket member 10 for receiving an elongated handle 11 whereby 'the mop head may be actuated. Said socket member at its mounted end has opposite lateral extensions 12 curved to embrace a pivot pin 13 journaled in lugs 14 struck out of the plate 2. The connection of the socket member to said plate is established in a substantially central relation to the latter, permitting a user of the appliance to select any convenient angular relation between the plate and handle and to widely vary such relation without interrupting a washing operation. It will be noted that the pivot pin 13 is parallel to the grooves 3 of the block, so that pressure applied by the handle tends to discharge water into the grooves where it may contact the surface being washed. Resiliency of the sponge block is moreover slightly increased by provision of the grooves 3.

Reversibility of the block to permit either of its rela tively large opposed faces to engage a surface to be cleaned adds materially to the useful life of the block, as does the end-for-end reversibility. Initial installation of a sponge block is also simplified by affording several operative positions for such installation.

While it is evident that the described implement may be used on various work surfaces, it is particularly suited to the cleaning of windows.

What I claim is:

l. A mop head comprising a resilient absorbent cellular sponge block having a work-engaging front face and an opposed rear face and opposed end faces and formed with notches extending toward each other from the end faces and with a socket elongated between the end faces and terminally opening in said notches and disposed substantially midway between the front and rear faces, a carrier plate having a front face forming a seat for the block and having an .opposed rear face, a member on said plate adjoining its rear face for connecting a handle to the mop head, an elongated latch member for detachably securing the block to the plate, said member extending freely through said socket in the block, means, accommodated in one of said notches, pivoting one end of the latch member on said plate, and a keeper fixed on the plate, and accommodated in the other notch, said keeper being releasably engageable by the other end of the latch member, whereby the keeper and the latch member are safeguarded against contact with work engaged by the block, and the block is so applicable to the plate that said front and rear faces may be reversed, the resiliency of the block yieldably resisting release of the latch member from the keeper.

2. A mop head comprising a resilient absorbent cellular sponge block having a work-engaging front face and an opposed rear face and opposed end faces and formed with Patented July 29, 1958 notches extending toward each other from the end faces 1 said socket for detachably securingthe block to-the plate;

means in said notches and inwardly spaced-from -said end faces of the blockfor releasably maintaining the latched position of the latch member whereby the block isfso applicable to the plate that said front and rear faces may be reversed, and the latch member andsaid meansfor maintaining its latched position are safeguarded against contact with work engaged by the sponge block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wilson July 12, 1910 Johnson Feb. 13, 1940 Schellings Feb. 15, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1904 Great Britain of 1907 Great Britain July 8, 1920 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1935 Switzerland Dec. 16; 1937 Great Britain May 11, 1955 France Mar. 11, 1953 

